The Upper Hanover man accused of stealing a cell phone and bicycle at gunpoint, shooting at a Marlborough police officer and barricading himself in a residence in a neighboring county last week faces attempted murder, robbery, assault of a law enforcement officer and aggravated assault charges.

            On June 12, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele and Marlborough Police Chief Darren Morgan announced the arrest of Charles Joseph Bowne III, 35, of Morgan Hill Drive. He faces two counts of attempted first-degree murder, four felony counts of aggravated assault, one count of assault of a law enforcement officer and robbery and seven related misdemeanors.

            One day earlier, law enforcement officials took Bowne into custody in Bucks County. Multiple Montgomery and Bucks agencies, including the Central Bucks Special Response Team, responded to the 1800 block of Ridge Road in West Rockhill Township nearly two-and-a-half hours after the initial incident.

            The defendant was remanded to Montgomery County jail after Springfield Township District Judge Katherine E. McGill denied his bail on the grounds that he is a danger to society during a June 12 preliminary arraignment, according to information provided by law enforcement officials.

            The charges originated in Marlborough. At 11:57 a.m. on June 11, county radio received a call regarding shots being fired at 1751 Swamp Creek Road. A victim reported that as he rode his bicycle, he passed a black Ford Mustang parked at the intersection of Swamp Creek and Camp roads, a front-seat passenger yelled, "Go home to your family!"

            The bicyclist said he saw the driver, identified as Bowne, point a revolver at him and order him to surrender his cellphone – with which he took a photo of the license plate – and to drop his bicycle. The victim complied. As he ran up Swamp Creek Road, away from Bowne, the victim said he heard Bowne shouting at him and five to six rounds being fired, according to the police criminal complaint filed in the Red Hill court of District Judge Maureen Coggins.

            A responding Marlborough officer parked his vehicle behind the Mustang pulled off to the side of Swamp Creek Road, just past the creek. As the officer prepared to get out of his car, he saw Bowne point a firearm at him from the driver's side window and begin to fire, according to the affidavit of probable cause.

            After ducking down in his car until the sound of the rounds stopped, he followed the Mustang – traveling at a slow rate of speed – on Swamp Creek Road, then left onto Whites Mill Road, across Allentown Road until arriving at residence on Ridge Road in West Rockhill Township at 12:13 pm. All the while, Bowne continued firing shots at the officer, according to the legal document.

            Authorities claim Bowne continued to fire rounds at responding officers from East Greenville, Lower Salford, Franconia, Hatfield, Upper Perk, Souderton, Telford, Montgomery Township, Towamencin, Pennridge Regional, the state police and Bucks County SWAT. A crisis negotiator used a telephone to contact Bowne, who was taken into custody peacefully at 2:42 p.m., according to court records.

            Bowne, transported to the Marlborough Township Police Department, did not want to talk to Montgomery County Detectives. A Pennridge Regional police detective claims to have seized three firearms from the defendant's Mustang. They include a Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 Magnum, a Century Arms VSKA 7.62 x 39 caliber pistol and a Ruger .22 long rifle, according to court records.

            A preliminary hearing in the case, before Coggins, has been scheduled for 11 a.m. on Monday, June 23. A public defender has not been assigned to the case, according to information posted on the judicial website.